Cleveland Museum of Art

Birds and Flowers

Date

late 1800s

Medium

Ten-panel folding screen with designs and inscriptions burnt into paper (pyrography)

Culture

Korea, Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)

Department

Korean Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The image depicted on this folding screen is not executed in ink, but rather a method called “pyrography" or "nakhwa,” a technique of burning the surface of materials ranging from wood to paper with the delicately controlled application of a heated metal tool. This technique became widely popular in the 19th century. Scorched marks here replace brush strokes. Nakhwa method is now designated as a Korean Intangible Cultural Asset by the Korean government. The painting is done by a pyrography method, a technique of burning the surface of materials with a heated tool.

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